Daily Blog Posts

Well, we're still in blog limbo here, awaiting our new, updated one that all of you will absolutely LOVE! Had we already been posing on it, we'd be boasting some deliciously healthy and beautiful V-day-esque dessert that would put those chocolates you received to shame!!

But we're not.

So, we're using this Hallmark-made day as an excuse to pay tribute to our significant others...

To our Valentines:

Will...

Doug...

and Sam...

...thank you for loving us through your unconditionally support and belief in our mission. We think y'all are really neat...

And to all of our followers, without you, we'd just be talking to the www all day...! We love you!

"Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God." John 4:7

Posted in healthy home By TB Admin | 0 Comments

Haven't you all kind of wondered what goes on inside your body after you eat a meal and wish you could see it? Call me weird, but I do all the time! 

Well, thanks to Stefani Bardin, a fellow with TEDxManhattan, and gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo at Harvard University we can get a glimpse at an inside look. The two conducted a clinical study using two different types of pill cameras that record inside the digestive tract. 

Bardin fed two subjects similar but fundamentally different meals. The first subject received gatorade, instant ramen, and gummi bears; the second subject ate handmade noodles (made of water, salt, and eggs and flour from the farmer's market), hibiscus tea, and pomegranate-cherry juice gummies. The digestion of these meals was recorded with the pill cams, demonstrating how differently the human body handles these foods during the breakdown process.

Take a look...

As you can see a healthy digestive system is highly dependant on the types of foods you put in your mouth. It's not just about calories anymore! 

Here is an article if you want to check out other tips for a healthy digestive system.... Happy digesting! 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly | 2 Comments

Hi all, below is a recent press release from Stacy Malkan and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics on the hundreds of lipsticks contaminated with lead. A new FDA study documents that the problem is much worse than previously thought.  Please circulate, post, tweet, however you want to spread the word to your female friends!

HUNDREDS OF LIPSTICKS CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD, reports new FDA study
Levels up to twice as high as previously reported; L’Oreal worst offender

(Washington, DC) -- A new analysis of lead in lipstick conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reveals that the problem of lead in lipstick is worse and more widespread than previously reported. The new study  found lead in  400 lipsticks tested by the agency, at widely varying levels of up to 7.19 parts per million (ppm) -- more than twice the levels reported in a previous FDA study. 

Yesterday, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent FDA a letter asking them to correct misleading statements on their website about the supposed safety of lead in lipstick:http://www.safecosmetics.org/downloads/DrLindaKatz_LeadLipstick_2.pdf. The agency has studied only the levels of lead in lipstick, and has conducted no health studies or safety assessments.

In January, an advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new report asserting that there is no safe level of lead for children, and stressing the importance of preventing lead exposure for children and pregnant women.  

“Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels,” said Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, policy advisor of the Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice and co-chair of the Environmental Health Task Force for the National Medical Association.

“Lead is a proven neurotoxin that can cause learning, language and behavioral problems. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, because lead easily crosses the placenta and enters the fetal brain where it can interfere with normal development,” said Sean Palfrey, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and public health at Boston University and the medical director of Boston's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 

The FDA study of 400 lipsticks was quietly posted on the agency’s website in December. The most contaminated brand in the study, Maybelline Color Sensation by L’Oreal USA, contained more than 275 times the amount of lead found in the least contaminated, and least expensive, brand, Wet & Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm -- demonstrating that price is not an indicator of good manufacturing practices. 

“How many millions of women have applied and reapplied lead-containing lipsticks since we first raised concerns about this problem five years ago? How many kids have played with their mom's lipstick?” said Janet Nudelman, interim director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and policy director at the Breast Cancer Fund. “It’s time for L’Oreal to get the lead out of its products, and for FDA to set a safety standard for lead in lipstick.”

The FDA said it is currently evaluating whether to recommend an upper limit for lead in lipstick. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is urging FDA to set a maximum limit for lead in lipstick based on the lowest lead levels cosmetic manufacturers can feasibly achieve. U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer, John Kerry and Dianne Feinstein have also urged FDA to take action to reduce lead in lipstick.  

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is also calling on L’Oreal to make a public commitment to reformulate its lipsticks to ensure the lowest possible levels of lead. L’Oreal makes five of the 10 most lead-contaminated brands in the FDA study.  

Here is the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics press release and the quick links to:

press release: http://bit.ly/ArdqQb 

letter to FDA: http://bit.ly/xJUgEk

Take Action: L'Oreal: Get the lead out of lipstick! http://bit.ly/AebMl4

A BIG thank you to Stacy Malkan and all the people at Campaign for Safe Costmetics for working so hard to help all of us (and hopefully the companies!) make smarter choices! 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly | 0 Comments

Hello! I know it's been a long time since we've posted on the blog (we promise that will change soon as we hope to get back to being regular bloggers in the near future!) but a friend sent me this video and I had to share.

We are HUGE fans of conocut oil. This video highlights a few reasons why you should be too. We recommend adding coconut oil to your foods, juices, smoothies and soups. Some personal favorites are to put it on an apple, spread it on some Alvarado St. Bakery sprouted toast with a sprinkle of sea salt, and to saute greens like kale it in.  

To read more about the benefits of coconut oil and to purchase a high quality brand, click here. 

Posted in healthy body By Kelly | 3 Comments

SHOP NOW!

Posted in healthy home By TB Admin | 116 Comments

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 

For today and tomorrow ONLY, take advantage of our coupon code

SPOOKY10 to get 10% off your Three Branches order!

This is no TRICK...TREAT yourself to something good!

Shop Now!

Posted in healthy body By TB Admin | 926 Comments

Come November 11th, 12th and 13th, you will find Three Branches at the 12th Annual Weston A. Price Wise Traditions Conference - Myth Busters. Yours truly will have a booth set up to display and sell our non-toxic cleaner, Branch Basics. We couldn't be more excited because to us, this is the greatest health conference of the year. It's not too late to sign up and hear amazing speakers like Dr. Joseph Mercola and Sally Fallon Morell. Check out more details here. It's not too late to sign up! We hope you join us at this amazing event!

Posted in resources By TB Admin | 25 Comments

When we give workshops and do healthy-home consultations, we emphasize the importance of adding nutrient-dense greens and good oils to your family's diet. We also encourage moms to cut steer clear of sugar - especially artificial sweeteners. But there's a whole other food subject that needs to be addressed. Perhaps the biggest no-no's of all are artificial food dyes.

Post soccer game, moms - perhaps begrudgingly - dole out the much-anticipated treats to assuage a hungry mass of youngsters. It's pretty easy to justify: "the other moms do it", "we have to give in every once in a while", "they can't be that bad if it's allowed on the shelves..."

But have you ever wondered exactly how Skittles, Red Velvet cupcakes, Gatorade and Rainbow Gold Fish get their color? Hint: it's not from naturally-derived sources. No, it's chemical-laden food dyes that can be found in the ingredient list under names like Blue 2 Lake, Red 40, FD&C Orange No. 1 and so forth.

Allow me to share a snippet of Jennifer Taylor's recent guest post on the Healthy Child Healthy World blog:

Popsicles, cookies, candy, soda, chips. My kids love after game snacks. Those treats are almost the reason they play sports. It starts off as a nice congratulatory snack and usually ends in tears. For me! They are bouncing off the walls. Don’t yell at your sister. Do not hit your brother! Why are you both crying? Go to your rooms!...What kid doesn’t like a brilliant red colored beverage after a game? Red #40 is a dye that is linked to aggressive, irrational behavior. A few days before my son’s meltdown, I got to witness his normally calm, sweet friend go into a rage about 30 minutes after swigging a can of crap with Red 40, Blue 1, caramel color, sodium benzoate on their list of ingredients. Oh yeah, there was also vitamin C added to this drink. I suppose it was a nice gesture from the manufacturer to add some vitamins , except that vitamin c and sodium benzoate when mixed together create benzene, a known carcinogen. Not exactly what I had in mind for hydration.

According to Taylor, "Yellow #5 and Red #40...are both azo dyes and they are made from coal tar. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives describes coal tar as a “thick liquid or semisolid tar obtained from bituminous coal, it contains many constituents including benzene, xylenes, naphthalene, pyridine, quinonlineoline, phenol, and cresol”(Winter, 2009, P. 166). What the heck are those? They cause cancer."

Enough said.

Taylor notes that the Los Angeles Unified School District has recently banned sulfites, artificial red dye #40, and yellow dye #5. Let's not wait until our schools take action for our own children's health.

So go ahead, be the mom who's known for passing out real food. And, look on the bright side: the choices are ever-growing as companies like Annie's, Sharkies, Late July, and Earth's Best that don't use preservatives, hydrogenated oils or artificial colorings. You can also purchase natural food dyes like these to bake those special b-day treats. But let's not forget that God-given foods like Beets can be a wonderfully colorful alternative to those nasty chemicals! Found out how to use them here.

Posted in healthy home By TB Admin | 34 Comments

Since the 1950's, the nutrient density of our veggies has plummeted. For instance, according to Grist's infographic, which depicts how different vegetables have depleted in nutritional value from 1950-1999, tomatoes have decreased 55% in calcium, 25% in iron, and 17% in ascorbic acid (a type of vitamin C). Why, you ask, did our grandparents get to enjoy the juicy fruits of their labor? Well, that's just it...it took more labor!

What's the deal?

While it's true that the soil today is more depleted (due to increased pesticide and fertilizer use), the main difference is that we simply grow different varities of veggies than we used to - ones that have a higher yield, a decreased time to harvest and a greater resistance to pests and disease. This makes the arduous task of farming much easier.

This "selective breeding" of high-yield produce produces bigger and more plentiful vegetables, but the nutrients are lacking. It's all about quantity, not quality. The more produce we get from one stalk, the less nutrients there are to go around...they've been diluted, so to speak.

So how can we ensure we're eating our grandma's veggies?

Donald Davis, a now-retired scientist from the University of Texas at Austin, suggests choosing non-hybrid varities like heirloom tomatoes. Not only are they more nutrient-dense, they actually taste better! These low-yield varities are more widely available seasonally, so make your way to your local farmer's market today and enjoy the best that our summer soil has to offer!

Some supplements ARE necessary

No matter how many dark, leafy green veggies we consume daily, we are simply not getting all the vitamins and nutrients our cells need. Due to the effects of the standard american diet, depleted soils, increased chemical exposure, etc., it's absolutely crucial that we supplement our diet with a whole-food based daily multi. Our Greens Mix is simply the best you can get. Air-dried grasses from the pristine soils of South America, Greens Mix provides the foundation for good health. From fighting sickness and promoting detoxification to strengthening digestion and hair/nail/skin health, Greens Mix is the answer!

Buy Greens Mix in Powder or Capsule form HERE.

Posted in healthy body By TB Admin | 24 Comments

We found the Newsweek article, One Word Can Save Your Life: No! to be very interesting, chock full of facts concerning health care spending and which tests are really worth taking. Afterall, we have to wonder why our medical costs are soaring in light of all the "preventative", "must-have" tests that are increasingly available.

I recommend reading the entire article here, but the following part is perhaps the most telling: 

"Medical practice also suffers from a kind of mission creep: if a treatment works in severe disease, some doctors assume it will work in milder disease. But that is not necessarily so. Antidepressants, for instance, have been shown in randomized trials to help with severe depression but not with moderate or mild depression, yet are widely prescribed for those conditions. Drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective against gastric reflux and rare esophageal diseases as well as some ulcers, but at least half, and possibly 70 percent, of the 113 million U.S. prescriptions for PPIs each year are for conditions they don’t help, such as run-of-the-mill stomachaches. PPIs can cause bone fractures, severe and hard-to-treat bacterial infections, and pneumonia. Millions of people are being put at risk unnecessarily, which is one reason treating adverse drug reactions costs the U.S. $200 billion a year.

Statins, common cholesterol-reducing drugs, may also not benefit some people who are taking them. Statins are proved to help people with both heart disease and high cholesterol, but not those with just high cholesterol. The drugs are nevertheless widely prescribed to patients who fit the latter description, despite adverse effects, such as severe muscle disease in up to 20 percent of patients. Similarly, cardiac resynchronization therapy, a special pacemaker that causes the right and left ventricles to beat in sync, can save the life of a patient with congestive heart failure whose ventricles are at least 150 milliseconds out of sync. Yet patients with a mistiming of 120-150 milliseconds are receiving the devices.

Low-tech tests should sometimes be avoided, too. In an Archives paper published this month, a panel of physicians, led by Brown’s Smith, announced its first list of tests and treatments that should be dropped altogether for certain patients and ailments: antibiotics for sinus infections, imaging for low back pain, osteoporosis screening for women under 65, and electrocardiograms and other cardiac screening in low-risk patients. Even blood panels for healthy adults made the list. Today’s comprehensive blood tests measure 15 or so enzymes, proteins, lipids, and the like. Yet by chance alone, if you test for 20 things, something will fall outside the bounds of “normal,” often due to simple lab error.

Posted in healthy body By TB Admin | 29 Comments